2nd Grade Reading

Written by Brigitte Luciani
Illustrated by Eve Thartlet

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Beautiful artwork and a touching story make this short graphic novel a winner for second graders. Mr. Badger and Mrs. Fox, in their fourth book, prepare for winter. They gather dried branches to protect the burrow entrance and provide bedding. The badger children react like badgers, eating everything in sight to fatten up and sleeping longer and longer periods of time. The badgers explain that they don’t really hibernate, though. One badger, Grub, stays out too long and ends up sleeping for a three-day stretch. Ginger, the fox child, enjoys the colder weather and learning about hunting. She offers to give the badgers hunting lessons. With added humor, Ginger slides down a snow-covered hill. They also engage several human activities. They build a board game and play it together. Snowballs fly and the kids build snow-badgers later in the book. Because the fox is more active than the badgers, a bit of conflict ensues. They solve the problem by providing a closing bedroom door for Grub. The carving on the door reads “Do Not Disturb.”
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Written by Colleen A.F. Venable
Illustrated by Stephanie Yue

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What a fun mystery with an unexpected detective: a guinea pig named Sasspants. It all begins in the pet shop. The animals all wonder what their futures will be if they are sold. Sasspants’s friend, Hamisher the hamster, decides the two of them must go to the same owner so they can continue their detecting. Then pizza enters the picture. The cat from the bookstore next door comes up missing and Sasspants and Hamisher are separated. Even with two sets of clues, all roads lead to pizza. Sasspants and Hamisher conclude that the cat climbed in the pizza carrier. They solve the crime, each in his or her own way, to find the cat and get him back home.
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By Robin Pulver

Illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed

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This is the story of the adventures that Mr. Wright’s classroom goes on when the capital letters in the class are out of shape from misuse. The students are not able to capitalize correctly and a letter is sent to the principal so a medical team can be summoned to do CPR-Capital Posture Repair.
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Written by Tilda Balsey
Illustrated by Jago

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Many bible stories have been made into children’s books. The story of Jonah is a popular story to embellish or illustrate and it’s almost always turned into a great fish tale. The Biblical account of Jonah’s folly is not so much about the fish, but about Jonah’s disobedience and God’s forgiveness. In the end Jonah still doesn’t change his heart. We’ve seldom heard this more accurate account of Jonah in children’s literature but Oh No, Jonah not only is biblically accurate, but its fantastic artwork by Jago will give kids a vivid picture of this whale of a tale.
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Written by Eric A. Kimmel

Outstanding Science Trade Book 2013 from the National  Science Teacher’s Association and the Children’s Book Council (click for more info)

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Look out for hidden corn snakes! Especially if you’re afraid of them, but also if you love them and keep them as pets. Rich plots, wonderful characters, and an appealing voice make this a winner for second graders. Because the snake information will speak to boys and because the family is Muslim, this is sure to appear on reading lists for cultural diversity.
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Written by Caroline Arnold

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What do bones do for you? What would happen if you didn’t have any bones?  Could you run and jump? Second grade readers will find out in this fun and fascinating look at the world of bones. This is a wonderful addition to the “Searchlight” books series. After an introduction, the author launches right into the substances that make up bones. For children, marrow and hard bone are surrounded by cartilage and the periosteum. What are the ways bones help you function? From protection to hearing to keeping you upright, there are many groups. The rib cage protects the heart and lungs, while the hips protect a different set of organs. The vertebrae are extra special. How are bones connected? What is a muscle? What are the different types of joints and how do they work? Why do adults have fewer bones than children? What is the difference between a ligament and a tendon? What can kids do help maintain a healthy skeleton?
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Written by Brian P. Cleary
Illustrated by Martin Goneau

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Wacky illustrations and fascinating facts make this a prime candidate for second grade readers. Part of the series, “Animal Groups Are CATegorcial,” this volume lends itself to further comprehension of both the words and of the animals portrayed. The author presents the basic facts. Fish live under water. They have backbones and breathe through gills. Fish are cold blooded and have fins and scales. However, the author is careful to note the many exceptions to the norm. Most fish lay eggs, but a few give birth to live offspring. Imagine a fish delivery room, complete with wheelchairs. Most fish remain in the water, but some walk on land or fly. With a parasail, we can fly with them. Fish can be almost any color – or a rainbow of colors. They live in oceans, streams, or lakes. They eat plants, bugs, or other fish. What would the reader order off the fish menu? They can be thumb-sized or the size or two trucks. Do you need a fish helmet to jump one that size? The cartoon-like fish characters are still accurate, for the most part, and make the learning fun.
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Written by Terri Fields
Illustrated by Laura Jacques

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What is the most dangerous animal on Earth? Fearsome creatures from all over the world gather for the Most Dangerous Animal contest. Each animal presents its case, boasting that it is the most dangerous. The judges hear from snakes, sharks, crocodiles, spiders, and more, their evidence leaving the judges shaking in fear. Then, the last animal steps up. It is the lowly mosquito, who is jeered off the stage by the other contestants, all of whom are sure they are the deadliest animal of all. But when the judges announce the winner, it is the mosquito who scores the shocking victory! Mosquitoes spread disease, the judges explain, and this tiny insect has been responsible for more deaths than all the other dangerous animals combined.
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Written and Illustrated by Karin Littlewood

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Immi’s Gift is a simple story of a little girl’s desire for friendship and how she finds it in the most unexpected of places. Immi is a lonely Inuit girl who lives in a stark world of bitter cold and white snow. One day while fishing on the ice, she brings up a little wooden bird. She’d never seen such beautiful colors before and she ties it on her necklace, alongside her treasured carved white bear. What happens next brightens Immi’s world. Day after day, when she comes to fish she catches brightly colored flowers, starfish, and leaves. They all are thrilling additions to her colorless life and she uses them to dress up her lonely igloo. Soon it was the brightest in the land and all the creatures come to visit Immi’s home. These special little gifts from the ocean not only brighten her life, but they warm her heart as her life is filled with creature friends and joy. When the ice begins to melt and she must move on, Immi has one last thought. Immi gives a gift of her own to the ocean as she drops her white bear charm into the water.
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By Madelyn Rosenberg
Illustrated by Jana Christy

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Written as a novel about two children looking for a way to celebrate the Jewish celebration of trees, this is an environmental adventure. Joni and her friend Nate think about what will make the trees happy. In the process, they figure out that their tree will be happy if the Earth is happy. They try several ways to please their favorite climbing tree: singing to it in Hebrew and English, trying to blow away the clouds blocking the sun, giving it a party with hats, giving it a tree-friendly cupcake, watering, depositing a paper bird in the tree, and acting like trees themselves. In the end, their solution is to plant a companion tree and give it all the love, water, and sunshine they can.
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